Hm, it appeared as though he was the first to arrive. And here he had been worried about being late. To think that he could have spent more time playing. He gritted his teeth silently in annoyance beneath a closed smile. “Brrrr, so cold,” he shivered out merrily. “Must you freeze the air so on such a fine sunny day?” 

Avoiding opportunity to answer, Mars turned to the next hunter who had arrived. His eyes passed right over the boring man who had actually arrived after him. Boring people didn’t exist in Mars’ eyes, and therefore Zephyr did not exist. His eyes instead found a beautiful flower. [i]No doubt equally thorned[/i], he thought to himself. He wanted to feel them.

“You, look like hell,” he said addressing Ivy. Mars leaned in closer, so that only she would hear. “Are those rope burns I see?” He danced away again. “Was it enjoyable?” His grin stretched even wider. 

Two more arrived, and with each new face Mars’ smile grew. Oh yes, he could see himself enjoying playing with such a cast. Some appeared boring, but he would break that shell eventually. Fun, fun, fun. It would be fun. The second of the two new faces asked, and Mars was happy to explain again. “Hello! I am Mars, and this it Kati!” He spun the girl around again, only to find that the woman who had asked had paid him no attention, instead bombarding the others with various questions. That was no good.

Mars walked away from the group without a word, returning shortly after carrying a bucket, in addition to the child he wore like a designer purse. Where he had found the bucket, and the child for that matter, was anyone’s guess. Walking right into the middle of the conversing group quite obtrusively, Mars lifted the bucket and touched it to the good doctor’s forehead. “Cooling, cooling, cooling…” He mumbled the same thing absently for a short while as he held the bucket stubbornly against Lev’s head against all attempts of removal.

Mars then removed the bucket from the good doctor’s head and put his finger inside. “Yes, that should be cold enough I think,” he said. With that, Mars dumped the entire bucketful of water over the newest arrival’s head. He cleared his throat before she could react. “Hello! I am Mars, and this is Kati!” He spun the girl around, smiling innocently all the while.